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Article

Open Access

An Introduction to An English-Chinese Dictionary and A Portuguese-Chinese Dictionary—Views on the Language and Society in Canton Area From Two Unpublished Official Collative Dictionaries Compiled in the 18th Century

Author(s)

NIE Da-xin WANG Hong-jun

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DOI:10.17265/2159-5836/2015.11.012

Affiliation(s)

Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China Peking University, Beijing, China

ABSTRACT

An English-Chinese Dictionary (口英咭唎國譯語, Ying Ji Li Guo Yi Yü) and A Portuguese-Chinese Dictionary (播哷都噶禮雅話, Bo Lü Duo Ga Li Ya Hua) are reckoned as the collative dictionaries compiled by the Office of Interpreters and Translators (會同四譯館, Hui Tong Si Yi Guan) in Qianlong time (1748), Qing dynasty. There is only one original manuscript of these books gathered and preserved by the Palace Museum. In the present paper, we intent to introduce the significant value and detailed information of these two official collative dictionaries from social background, process of compilation, and stylistic basis of the book. Meanwhile, we will primarily work out the phonetic principles between Canton dialect and foreign languages also indicate the dialect characteristics after clarifying the faults and errors. The present paper may supply with a rudimentary knowing and resource to the realm of “Canton English” and “Canton Portuguese”, even to the social status and Chinese dialect in Canton area for certain period. Detailed and specific research, especially for A Portuguese-Chinese Dictionary, still lies for future discovery.

KEYWORDS

Hua Yi Yu Yü, Canton English, Canton dialect, Canton Portuguese

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References

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